COLD BAY, ALASKA, United States – A volcano on the Alaska Peninsula erupted with little advanced warning over the weekend, spewing an ash cloud up to 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) high that prompted aviation warnings across the region, scientists said.
Mount Pavlof, one of the most active volcanoes on the peninsula, began erupting shortly after 4:00 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time on Sunday (March 27), said Jessica Larsen, coordinating scientist with the University of Alaska Geophysical Institute.
Video taken by local resident Royce Snapp and posted on the Alaska Volcano Observatory Facebook page on Thursday (March 31) showed lava spewing from the volcano. Snap shot the video in Cold Bay, located 37 miles (60 km) southwest of Pavlof.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a “red” aviation alert in response to the 20,000-foot-high ash cloud, which required that flights be re-routed. The alert could affect local and regional air traffic, as well polar routes and cargo flights from Anchorage.
There have been more than 40 eruptions from Pavlof, including between May and November of 2014, when ash plumes also triggered aviation warnings. Such events can last weeks or months.
